Bradley Riethmeyer (Team PR Photo)

This Saturday at Mansfield Motorsports Park, Bradley Riethmeyer will attempt to qualify for the Ohio 250. If he makes it through qualifying, it will mark his first start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. With unwavering determination, Riethmeyer goes into his third qualifying attempt with the All-American Driver Challenge (AADC) truck after failing to qualify in his first two attempts at Martinsville by very narrow margins.

"As a team we made some mistakes and learned a lot during our past two qualifying attempts at Martinsville in the spring and last fall," said Riethmeyer. "The best thing we can do is keep digging until we make it. Racing has always been my passion and the All-American Driver Challenge is giving me another opportunity to break into this level of racing."

Riethmeyer was fast enough in practice to easily make the show in both previous attempts but mechanical failures led to problems in qualifying and the team's failure to make the races.

Riethmeyer, a full-time college student at Texas A&M just a year ago, emerged as the Champion in the inaugural year of the All-American Driver Challenge in 2006. Prior to entering the AADC, Riethmeyer, who hails from Hutto, Texas, thought he would have to give up his professional racing aspirations after his parents confided that they would not have the funding to run his late model cars for another year. Then, after advancing from the top 100 drivers in the seminfinals at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games in Atlanta, he was crowned Champion over nine other finalists at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina and won a fully-paid contract to driver in the 2006 USAC Carolina/Virginia Midget Series.

In 2006, Riethmeyer made an immediate impact on the Midget Series by winning the first event of the USAC Carolina Midget Series. He went on to claim two victories in ten races and finished third in the final points standing. He was also named the 2006 USAC Carolina/Virginia Ford Focus Midget Series "Rookie of the Year."

The All-American Driver Challenge is a driver search and competition that is geared toward fostering the best up-and-coming talent, ages 15-23, for a future career in a professional American racing series. AADC winners will be developed for the opportunity to advance to higher levels of racing including the USAC National Midget, Silver Crown, Sprint and NASCAR Late Model Weekly Racing Series. The All-American Driver Challenge is presented by Calico Coatings and sponsored by American Racing Academy, Racingschools.com, Unique Pizza and Subs, Simpson Race Products, The Joie of Seating, Mechanix Wear, Under X, K&N Filters, Phoenix Physical Therapy & Sports Performance and endorsed by USAC. For more information on The All-American Driver Challenge, please visit www.allamericandriver.com.